This evening, the eyes of Qatari football fans are turning towards the Khalifa International and Jassim bin Hamad Stadiums at Al Sadd Club, to follow the two semi-final matches of the 2026 Qatar Cup, in an anticipated conflict that brings together four sides of the golden square in the last edition of the Qatar Stars League, amid great ambitions and calculations that cannot be divided into two.
In one of the most prominent semi-final confrontations, Al Sadd and Al Gharafa meet in a summit that holds many titles, not only as a confrontation between two great teams, but also because of the close memories it carries and confrontations full of excitement and clubness, in addition to the desire of each team to grab the ticket to qualify for the final match and continue the journey towards the podium.
Al Sadd enters the confrontation with great ambition, having succeeded in winning the Qatar Stars League title last season for the third time in a row, following its victory over Al Shamal by three goals to two in the twenty-second and final round, confirming the leader’s strong presence on the local scene and continuing his series of successes in recent years.
Al Sadd hopes to continue its successful journey by reserving its place in the Qatar Cup final.
Al-Sadd had secured the qualification ticket to the semi-finals after an exciting confrontation against Al-Shamal, which ended with a victory of six goals to four, in a match that revealed the great attacking strength of the team, but at the same time it confirmed that cup matches do not know prior calculations, and that small details may be decisive in determining the identity of the qualifier.
On the other hand, Al-Gharafa enters the confrontation under the leadership of its coach, Martins, and he realizes that the path to the podium passes through a heavy-caliber confrontation against the league champion and the record holder in the number of times the Qatar Cup has been won.
Al-Gharafa, which finished fourth last season, also has strong motivation to achieve victory and reach the final match, especially after it succeeded last season in winning the Emir Cup title, which gives the team a great morale boost before competing in this summit. Al-Gharafa also enters the match armed with an important psychological factor, represented by its success in beating Al-Sadd in the last confrontation that brought together the two teams, when it achieved a wide victory with four goals to one in the Emir Cup final, and that result will certainly cast a shadow on the semi-final confrontation.
In the end, all previous calculations will be worthless once the starting whistle blows, as the field alone will determine the team most capable of exploiting opportunities, the most calm in decisive moments, and the most worthy of seizing the ticket to the final.
It is a confrontation between the history of Al Sadd and the ambition of Al Gharafa, and between the leader’s desire to maintain control and the Panthers’ desire to assert superiority.
Lucescu: Our ambitions are great
Romanian Razvan Lucescu, coach of Al Sadd, stressed the importance of facing Al Gharafa, stressing that his team enters the match with one goal: to achieve victory and qualify for the final match.
Lucescu said at the press conference: “This competition means a lot to us. Winning two matches gives us the opportunity to lift the cup, which represents the culmination of the players’ efforts and makes the club’s fans happy.”
He added: “We are at the beginning of the season and we want to continue working with the highest levels of focus and motivation, and to give everything we have, match after match, while continuing to develop and improve performance. We realize that facing Al-Gharafa is different from the league matches, so we have to be extremely prepared.”
He stressed that his team is always fighting for titles, saying: “Al-Sadd moves from one tournament to another with a winning mentality only.” We started the season well, but our ambitions are great and we want to always be on time.”
Lucescu spoke about Akram Afif, stressing that he is a distinguished player with great intelligence and the ability to make the right decisions quickly.
Lucescu stressed his confidence in the ability of the current group to compensate for any deficiency, stressing that maintaining the team’s mentality and balance is a priority, and not just looking to strengthen the ranks with new players.
Pedro Martinez: Ready for the leader
Portuguese coach Pedro Martins, Al Gharafa coach, confirmed that his team is looking forward to giving its best against Al Sadd, stressing that the goal is to achieve victory and reach the final match. Martinez said in the press conference: “It will be a wonderful and very important match. The tournament includes four teams, and each team is fighting to reach the final and win the title, and all teams have sufficient experience to deal with such confrontations.” He added: “Our players will fight to win, and we have a group of players that we will try to benefit from in the best possible way. We hope that some matters related to the team roster will be resolved so that we can benefit from the rest of the elements.”
He explained that he is satisfied with the current group, but he looks forward to having more solutions and options during the next stage, stressing that completing the ranks will make the team stronger.
He continued: “We know well Al Sadd’s strengths, but Al Gharafa is always one of the favorite teams to compete, and we have experience and ambition, and everyone will do their best to achieve victory.”
He said: “We have young players who have become important elements in the team, and these talents are very useful, but they need more experience and maturity, and we will continue to work to develop them and benefit from them optimally.”
Firmino: A confrontation similar to the final
Brazilian Roberto Firmino, Al Sadd player, confirmed that facing Al Gharafa will be difficult and strong, stressing the desire of the team’s players to continue their victories and move a new step closer to winning the title.
Firmino said: “It is a very important match in the semi-finals, and we want to win the championship and we always work to achieve titles. “Our entire focus is on facing Al-Gharafa, and we will do our best to qualify for the final.” He added: “Al-Gharafa is a strong and capable team, and we previously faced them in the Emir Cup final, and we know very well their capabilities. The matches in front of him are always difficult and require double effort.”
The Al-Sadd striker pointed out that winning the first two matches in the league gave the team a morale boost and great confidence, but he stressed the need to shift the focus now to the Qatar Cup, saying: “We have to fight with a strong mentality and mentality, as our goal, like every season, is to compete for titles and championships.”
Firmino concluded his statements by saying: “Any match against Al-Gharafa is like a final match.
Amr Siraj: A special meeting
Amr Siraj, Al Gharafa player, confirmed that the match against Al Sadd will be strong and enthusiastic, pointing out that the Qatar Cup matches are inherently different from the league matches. He said: “The match has a special character, and Al-Sadd is a big team and has distinguished elements, but we will turn the page on the league and put our full focus on this confrontation, and we hope to be in the best preparation and to achieve victory and qualify for the final match.”
He added: “Cup matches are always different and do not tolerate many mistakes, and the nominations may be in Al Sadd’s interest after winning the first two league matches, but we will fight with all our might for our chances.” Siraj stressed his great confidence in his colleagues, stressing that Al-Gharafa’s ambition is not limited to a specific tournament. He said: “I have great confidence in all my colleagues, and we will not promise anything before the match, but we want to compete for the league and all the championships, and we will work with everything we have to make Al-Gharafa fans happy and win titles.”